How to keep deer out of the garden

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By Katie Marks

Wellington Daily News - Wellington, KS

By Katie Marks

Posted Aug. 28, 2013 at 1:01 AM

By Katie Marks

Posted Aug. 28, 2013 at 1:01 AM

GHNS

Last year was a good one for deer in the West. They multiplied, and this year, they gave birth to a bumper crop of babies, which has meant fawns everywhere. Sadly, not so adorable as the summer has stretched on, proving hot and dry. These brutal conditions arenít just fodder for wildfires. Theyíre also hard on vegetation, with few trees, shrubs, and plants thriving in the high-heat, low-water conditions.

Thatís a devastating consequence for deer, who are struggling to find something to eat, and itís bad news for your garden. The more limited the pickings, the bolder the deer are going to become, and these garden marauders can devastate a beautiful flower or vegetable garden in a single night. Not only that, they can wreak havoc on established trees and shrubs that took years to get going.

You donít want that to happen to you! And unless you have the money to establish a good deer fence, you may be struggling to come up with ways to protect your garden from deer. Deer fences need to be at least eight feet high to present a real barrier for jumping, although fences made from solid materials like slats can be shorter, down to six feet. (Deer see solid fences as more of a barrier because itís hard for them to tell what is on the other side, and they can be dissuaded from leaping over the fence.)

If you donít have the money for that in your budget right now, it doesnít mean that your garden is at the mercy of the neighborhood ungulates, or that you need to sit on the porch with a shotgun waiting for them to prowl around. (In fact, please donít: itís important to respect the dates of hunting season and itís probably not legal for you to fire a shotgun in your neighborhood. Contact your local fish and game department for specific information about hunting.)

First things first: Cage your plants. Yes, we know it looks ugly, and thereís something singularly depressing about walking out into the yard and seeing an array of plants in tragic little cages. However, those tacky cages are going to save your plants from being nibbled. Save them for those trees and shrubs you want lasting a good long time, and donít worry: once those plants are established (and grown beyond deer height), you can uncage them.

Lots of hardware and nursery suppliers sell cages for this purpose, but you can make your own just as easily with chicken wire or deer wire, and they will be much less expensive. Purchase a big roll and cut a length to size, using garden stakes to hold it up around the tree. If you really hate the look of cages, consider just applying them overnight, which is when deer do the most damage. Thereís no guarantee your plants wonít get munched during the day, of course, but the risk is much lower.

Page 2 of 2 - Second: Make your garden less appealing to deer. And Iím not talking about ďdeer-resistantĒ plants -- itís too late for that this year. But there are some things you can do now. For one thing, deer arenít too into clutter, because it makes them worry about how theyíll escape in a hurry. Strategically move pots, wheelbarrows, garden statues, logs, and anything else you have handy around to turn the garden into an obstacle course. Not so easy to meander around the buffet now, deer!

Third: Smell-o-vision. Deer donít like hanging out in spots where predators do. And you can actually buy predator urine for scattering around the garden to deter deer, but that might not be something youíre willing to do. However, there are deer repellants (and cheap beer can work, too) that you can apply around the garden. Be aware that you will need to keep using them for them to be effective, and remember to check the packaging to make sure they are nontoxic.

Add some smelly herbs in containers, too. Sage, chives, peppers, and other pungent herbs are really useful for cooking, and theyíre also great deer repellants. The strong scent is unappealing, and you can scatter the containers around the garden to keep the deer at bay, moving them as necessary in response to changes in deer activity.

Fourth: Harvest, harvest, harvest. Deer love juicy, flavorful fruits and veggies. Harvest them as quickly as they appear, and clear away growth when crops are no longer producing. Also keep grass trimmed so deer have nowhere to bed, as this will encourage them to move along. If you have wild blackberries or other fruit around the garden, clip them back and keep them clipped to further deter deer.

Fifth: Cut loose with moving garden art. Finally, the moment youíve been waiting for! Windsocks, windmills, and other garden art that moves around spooks deer, because theyíre afraid of the movement and they arenít sure what it means. Strategically place some items around the garden to keep deer on their tiptoes, and hopefully tiptoeing right on out of your garden. Motion lights can also be effective for scaring deer at night, but check the aim of the beam carefully so it wonít disrupt you and your neighbors.

Inevitably, youíre going to lose some growth to deer this year, but you donít have to lose it all.

Katie Marks writes for Concrete Networx. This article originally appeared at http://www.networx.com/article/keeping-deer-out-of-the-garden.